The article answers the question of the causes of departures from the Church in the first centuries of Christianity. The source of analysis is the Panarion, the largest patristic catalogue of heresies by Epiphanius of Salamina. The structure of the article is determined by the motives for leaving the Church: a) making too high demands on oneself and being unable to admit one’s error; b) being subjected to manipulation by others; c) being formally removed from the Church.